With her silvery hair, Marks & Spencer outfits and matronly demeanour, EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel can give the impression of being rather old fashioned. So it comes as some surprise to discover that she is in fact a techno-geek. The news just in is that Mrs Fischer Boel is the latest in a rash of leading political figures to embrace the internet as a communication tool. Her daring foray into the world wide web takes the form of a new personal blog. So far there are just two entries. The first extols Europe’s farmers to pursue “quality, quality, quality” and the second, entitled ‘an apple a day keeps the doctor away’, gives an account of her visit to Grüne Woche (Green Week) in Berlin. Most of the comments on the blog are broadly supportive of this new adventure, although several readers questioned why she’s writing in English only. This is a problem faced by CAP Health Check, and we’re already looking to raise funds to translate our site into other European languages. Would you like to help? If so, do get in touch.
While Mrs Fischer Boel is online, she may want to take the time to check up on the EU farm subsidies paid to her husband Hans, whose farms back home in Denmark are reported to be worth several several million euros. Information on farm subsidies in Denmark is now a matter of public record thanks to the campaigning work of the farmsubsidy.org network.
